Austrian Information
Volume 61 | September/October 2007

Trapp Family Receives Award

In celebration of the Braunau Contemporary History Days 2007, the Egon Ranshofen - Wertheimer Prize, named after the journalist, diplomat and scholar of law, Egon Ranshofen, born 1894 in Ranshofen (Braunau am Inn), was awarded for the first time to an Austrian expatriate who has served Austria in some very significant way. The decision was made to honor the former refugee family, Trapp. Accepting the prize on behalf of the Trapp Family was Elisabeth von Trapp Walker, granddaughter of Georg Ritter von Trapp. As emphasized by the head of the cultural section within the Austrian Foreign Ministry, Emil Brix, the award-winning film, “The Sound of Music,” benefited not only the Trapp Family but also Austria . “There is no other film which has helped shape the image of Austria during the 20th century as much as this one. For many decades, the Trapp Family has contributed considerably to the positive perception of Austria throughout the world. When promoting our culture abroad, it is the positive clichés which help draw public attention to contemporary artistic work.”